Area sellers getting better prices; building steady

Johnson County residents looking for a home to buy don’t have as many options as a year ago, and prices are up.

But neither is bad for the housing market. Homes are selling within a few months, and residents are willing to build new homes again, local real estate agents said.

In 2013, 1,004 homes sold in Johnson County from January to May. That number fell to 905 this year, about a 10 percent drop.

One reason for the decrease in sales is that investors bought up most of the area’s foreclosed homes last year to use as rental properties, and not many investment properties are left to buy at three or more at a time, said Michael Crafton, owner of Landtree Realtors in Greenwood. Sales of those foreclosed properties had been boosting overall sales figures.

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